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Once known as an app strictly for sexting (which may be true for some of you out there), Snapchat has evolved into something different. It became a place for people to share short snippets of their day with their friends. The app drew the attention of marketers – which lead big brands to capitalize on its power to engage with users.

It’s not too late; you can still use Snapchat. Although Instagram is hot on its heels, Snapchat has managed to maintain its large audience. As of September 2016, the app is boasting 150 million active daily users.

Product reveals

Before a new product is launched, your job as a marketer is to generate as much hype as possible. That means collecting emails, names, and any other relevant contact information. If you hop onto Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube without prepping for your big product reveal, you might just fall flat.

This is where Snapchat comes in handy. Snapchat is heavily composed of two elements for its users: exclusivity and storytelling. Here’s how Taco Bell worked with Mario Lopez to unveil how a taco is made.

Why exclusivity? Well first off, you can’t add someone without knowing their username, phone number, or snap code. No brainer, right? Well, your favourite celebrity might have a Snapchat. If they haven’t shared their phone number, username, or snap code, you won’t have any way of adding them. You can’t find them through a news feed of some sort. You need to add them directly.

You can also provide your audience with deals or information that you only provide on Snapchat.

Because of this, your users might feel exclusivity when they add your brand on Snapchat.

Then there’s the storytelling aspect. Snapchat works because users create content on a daily basis, which requires the ability to tell stories. It’s not a coincidence that the app has a “stories” feature, which lets users compose content for all their followers to see. The most engaging Snapchat users use the power of storytelling.

So how do these two elements help with product reveals?

You can make your followers feel like they are part of a special tribe. Since Snapchat is currently only available on smartphones, you have the ability to give your followers a unique view of your brand.

Show them what it took to develop your product. Show them the resources you put into delivering your services. Give your audience a preview of major events – like the first prototype being manufactured. Tell the story of your new product by following its inevitable launch.

Slowly reveal significant events related to your products. You can end your Snapchat story with a sneak preview of the final product, or anything else that will tease your audience.

Using Snapchat can help your brand raise awareness for your product launch. You’ll captivate your audience with the power of exclusivity and storytelling.

Personal branding

Snapchat is also very useful in the personal branding department. You need to create content on the fly, which can force you to be candid. Makes sense because you need to carry around a smartphone to post content. You might have a company smartphone, but it’s probably going to be in the possession of one person. Successful Snapchat users always establish a following beforehand.

You can do this by leveraging your existing network. Share your snap code on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or Twitter. The early adopters will jump on the opportunity to add you if your personal brand is something that interests them.

Snapchat gives you the ability to engage with your audience. You can respond and reply directly to your followers. You can post stories to illustrate your day and establish a viewership. But there’s one thing you need to consider.

It’s obvious that you need to provide your audience with value. The thing is those who are concerned with their own personal brand will need to go to greater lengths to attract an audience. If you can answer this single question, then get start using Snapchat now.

What do you have to offer your audience?

Are you funny? Are you providing them with genuinely useful advice? Do you tell stories that can captivate them? Are you insanely good looking?

Find out what it is you can truly provide your audience, and create a content strategy based off of that.

You must be familiar with DJ Khaled. If not, well here’s a short compilation of his Snapchat content.

Although he was a celebrity before all the Snapchat hype, his reputation has gone through the roof. In fact, universities were asking him to come speak in front of their students.

Snapchat is story driven, and those who can tell a story that captivates emotions will win. This platform was made for personal branding. Make your content shareable and easy to follow. Keep it simple. Know what it is you can provide for your audience. Leverage your strengths and start creating yourself a strong personal brand.

Maybe one day you’ll become a pseudo-celebrity or influencer on Snapchat.

Influencer marketing

Brands found that the emergence of social media platforms opened up a whole new world in digital marketing. Social media platforms gave birth to a special breed of celebrities: influencers.

Influencers are individuals with large followings and large levels of engagement. Think YouTube stars and Instagram famous people. One of the earliest influencers is Jen Selter, who has been offered to work with large brands such as Nike.

You also have people like Dan Bilzerian and Kylie Jenner. There’s a reason why brands approach these people with free products and large sums of cash. Their content is valuable to their audience. Even the content that is brand endorsed.

You can reap the same benefits of influencer marketing with Snapchat. Influencer marketing for Snapchat works in a few ways. You can send influencers your products and have them rave about it on Snapchat. You can include an influencer in one of your Snapchats to help tell your story. You can also give them complete access to your Snapchat account for a day.

Since Snapchat posts aren’t easily tracked, you will need to work with influencers you can trust. The only way they can show you results is if they send you a screenshot of the post along with its analytics. You’ll also need to ensure that your influencer is following your content marketing strategy.

You don’t have to micromanage the way they create content – in fact, that could hurt your results. Let your influencers tell your story in their own voice. There’s a reason they’ve built up a loyal following. You want them to create content that is genuine.

Snapchat has even attracted the attention of Disney World, who hired an influencer to promote their new account.

Reaching a younger demographic

Now if you’re looking for a way to reach a younger demographic, this social media platform can help you do that. The one thing about a younger audience is that they have been bombarded by online advertisements for a majority of their lives. A younger audience knows precisely when a brand is acting in its own best interest.

This same rule of thumb applies to Snapchat. If all you do is take pictures of your products accompanied by a URL, your audience will quickly catch on. To encourage your audience to take action, you need to earn their trust.

As easy as it is for you to reach your younger demographic, they can filter you out just as easily. Snapchat has a much younger audience, but your success with them depends on your overall content strategy.

Easily create content on the fly

The content you create for Snapchat will most likely require fewer resources than your typical social media post. Since Snapchat is only accessible on smartphones, your content will need to be easily digestible for its users. That means taking into consideration both the screen size of phones as well as access to the internet.

Yup, content is super easy to produce using Snapchat.

So easy that you might end up over-snapping. You’ll want to share every bit of your day. But is that what your audience wants to see?

Each Snap you create will only span from 1 to 10 seconds. This forces you to create snippets of your day that will keep your audience engaged.

As a guideline – stick to sharing the most interesting parts of your day. Your audience will want to see a story, not a drawn out sales pitch. Stick to the nature of the platform and create casual content. Keep it fun and lighthearted!

Conclusion

This is just a short list of the ways you can use Snapchat for business. It’s 2017, and communicating with your audience will require you to remain on top of social trends. Although it will take some getting used to – Snapchat is definitely going to be worth the small time investment. Maybe you can hop on the Snapchat train before the Spectacles change the way we communicate with each other.